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The reason why many detectorists seek out private property is because it is pristine land for treasure hunting. Beaches and parks are detected every day, but private property is virgin territory- never hunted before. This is a chance for you to find TRUE treasure and get your hooks into valuable finds!

Homesteads Dating Back to the 1700’s and 1800’s

If you check out YouTube videos posted by “Hooked on History,” you’ll see several detectorists unearthing amazing finds. They all talk about old private property and ask permission to hunt these areas. Typically, these are old homesteads in the rural Midwest dating back to the 1700’s and 1800’s. Most of the homes are no longer standing, but they have markers indicating where outhouses, dump sites and building foundations existed. In one video, “Treasure in the Ground Metal Detecting Private Property 2017,” father and son hobbyists were thrilled with their discoveries!

Finds on Private Property

The treasure-hunting duo from “Treasure in the Ground” found exceptional treasures. They hunted a house formerly standing in the late 1700’s and another former homestead from the late 1800’s. Finds included: foreign coins, a pewter spoon, a clock face piece with Roman numerals, a 1941 Mercury silver dime, and a 1943- S silver Washington quarter. It pays to ask permission!

A great way to stay connected with the metal detecting community and get inspiration is by visiting “My Metal Detector Finds” at MetalDetector.com. It is under our “Community” tab where detectorists submit stories about their treasure finds with a metal detector. YOU can also submit your story about a personal find for a chance to win a prize! It’s exciting to see that hobbyists are unearthing Revolutionary-period relics, gold coins, ancient artifacts and all kinds of treasure every day. Submissions are usually just a quick paragraph or 2 with a photo. Some treasure magazines have yearly competitions, but the “My Finds” submission period is every three months with new prizes. Here are some recent exciting “My Finds” stories submitted by our site readers. Be sure to vote for your favorites!

Jan. 2017: Sonya from Indiana Uncovered a Gold Coin!

Sonya was searching a farmer’s field that was once an old homestead when her detector signaled. It was music to her ears, as she had stumbled across an 1857 $1 gold coin!Read her story

Feb., 2017: James from Louisiana Found a Pendant Stamped 1694!

What an incredible find! James was hunting in his own neighborhood field when he discovered a pendant stamped “1694” on both sides. It may have been dropped by French explorers as Robert de La Salle explored this river. Read about this intriguing find

Feb. 2017: Big Time Beginner’s Luck in Rhode Island!

Gold Texas A&M ring, found and returned to owner.

This new Rhode Island hobbyist decided to give metal detecting a try after watching reality detecting shows. With an entry-level detector, “Indigo Digger” found silver coins, Civil War buttons, 1800’s Indian Head pennies and more!Check out Indigo Digger’s awesome story!

Feb., 2017: Gold & Diamond Ring Found and Returned to Owner

Otis from Palestine, Texas is definitely a good Samaritan! After purchasing a “DD” coil for his detector, Otis found a men’s gold ring with a big diamond. The owner’s name was engraved on it, so he was able to locate the owner in Houston, TX. Otis- you’re a great guy and this is inspirational!Read Otis’s story

“My Metal Detecting Finds”

Have an exciting discovery of your own to share? Be sure to share it and also vote for your favorite finds at MetalDetector.com!

“The Marshall House” which was used by the British as a field hospital.

With warmer weather here (and better ground conditions), the thrill of treasure hunting beckons! If you’ve already hunted local parks, beaches and public venues in your neighborhood, it’s probably time for more advanced metal detecting. Over time, many detectorists start to realize that detecting on older private properties is where the REAL ACTION is! More old coins and excellent relics are found in private yards than anywhere else. This is largely due to the fact that few people (if any) have ever swung a metal detector on this territory. It’s important to know the history of your area before deciding where to hunt and what you’re searching for. Do you live in a region where the Civil War was fought or where the first colonies once were? If so, you’re in ideal relic hunting territory.

Politely Ask Permission to Hunt Someone’s Private Property

There are some favorable tactics for gaining permission to hunt on private property. And in an upcoming article, we will fill you in on some of these “best practices.” But in a nutshell, it helps to explain to the home or landowner something on the order of: “I live here in town and I’m a history buff. I appreciate older neighborhoods and properties such as this. My hobby is metal detecting, so I search for old relics in fields and old properties. If something is interesting, I’ll be sure to show you; then offer it to a local historical society.” When you DO obtain permission to hunt, here are some tips for relic hunting success:

Make sure you are good at plug cutting. You don’t want to tear up someone’s yard, field or farm!

Front yards were generally used a lot more than backyards. It’s best to detect the front before the backyard—specifically the paths to and from the doors of the house.

Look for locations of the old out buildings. This includes sheds, barns, outhouses and wells. The paths to those areas where high traffic, with great old coin potential.

Get under the front porch, if possible. Lots of coins, old toys and other objects have likely slipped through the cracks. This was also a popular place for burying treasure.

If there are sidewalks, check along the grass edges. Coins and small objects land next to sidewalks and in the cracks.

Search under old trees on the property. People congregated in shady spots, also stashing items near roots.

Pay attention to clusters of trees, especially if they are in a row. These were usually intentionally planted years ago; it’s a good hint to check that area.

When you are done with the property, be sure to thank the landowner. If you had lots of luck there, consider giving the property owner a token of your appreciation.

Whenever you go treasure hunting with your metal detector the more targets you locate the better. Unfortunately, we all go through what we might call “dry spells”; periods where you just don’t find anything, and if you do get a hit, it’s trash. While most metal detectorists will say “Oh well, it’s still a lot of fun just to be out detecting” on trips that don’t yield any treasures, there’s no denying the excitement that comes along with hitting on a valuable target!

With that in mind, we’ve compiled a few tips to help you find more with your metal detector so you can enjoy fewer dry spells and many more trips filled with targets that turn out to be true treasures.

Use A Hand Held Pinpointer

The MI-6 Pinpointer from XP Metal Detectors.

Probably one of the best tips we can give you to help you find more treasures with your metal detector is to use a pinpointer. Even if your metal detector offers a built in pinpointer having a hand held device can not only allow you to zero in on the targets your machine does find, but, once you dig up that initial target, a hand held pinpointer can often help you find even more in and around that first hole you dug.

Dig Beyond The Target Your Machine Found

As we mentioned above, digging beyond the first target your machine finds is another way to increase the number of treasures you’re able to locate with your metal detector whether you have a pinpointer or not. Usually, there isn’t just one civil war button, coin or gold nugget – there’s several – and if you keep digging (carefully) you’ll find them as well as your initial target.

Use Headphones

Headphones can help you find more targets with your metal detector by giving your ear the opportunity to hear all of the small changes in sound a target can make. Many of these slight changes in pitch can be missed w/the naked ear, especially if there is ambient noise. With headphones however these notifications from your machine are much less likely to be missed and, as a result, you’ll be able to locate more treasures. See all Headphones

Invest in Additional Search Coils

Most metal detectors come with a medium search coil as standard issue equipment. Having search coils of varying size and/or configuration though is another way to increase the targets your metal detector finds. Each search coil is designed to search best in different situations. Having several on hand allows you to search as much of the ground as possible thereby resulting in more targets overall.

Do Your Research

While it’s fine to just go out metal detecting (as long as you have permission ) doing a bit of research before you head out can be very helpful. The more you know about the area the better you’ll be at finding good places to go treasure hunting. While the internet may come to mind first, the library and local town offices are excellent places to begin your research. Read more on researching new metal detecting sites

The more of these metal detecting tips you can apply during your treasure hunts, the more targets you’ll find. So, be sure to do whatever you can and increase the number of treasures you find with your metal detector easily.

Learn to read the soil and find more treasures with deep seeking detectors such as the Garrett GTI 2500 with Depth Multiplier.

Did you know that you can learn how to “read the soil” you’re digging in to determine if there is treasure below? Treasure hunter Bill Gallagher explains in Lost TreasureMagazine that there are many clues to guide you. By reading the soil, Gallagher discovered that all of his treasure is often contained in one layer. So, getting to know the earth’s layers will definitely help with your success!

Soil Indicators of Buried Treasure

Pure colored sand and dirt usually means an area is undisturbed. However, variations in the soil like circles, dots and layers of multicolored soil indicate the opposite—people may have buried treasure here. Detectorists who are on the hunt for old dump sites and privy pits read the land and soil in search of old trash. An old piece of glass can signal a dump site below. The top layer of trash usually contains nails, tin cans, and old household items—which a metal detector will quickly locate.

Where is the Treasure Layer?

Gallagher suggests digging a few test holes in the area you’re getting a signal. “Get a good look at a cross section of topsoil, and try to find the treasure layer. In a fort site nearby, I found a thin black line below many layers of soil. It was chock full of buttons, coins and musket balls. Concentrate on finding the “Pay” dirt layer to maximize your finds.” Instead of spending hours sifting through all of the layers, find the good layer where most of the treasures have settled. Another tip is to treasure hunt where industrial digging is going on. Ditches and trenches are great places to search because the treasure layer may now be uncovered.

It’s all about detecting in the most productive way possible. If you develop your ability to read the soil, you will find the MOST amount of treasure in the least time possible!

1857 US one dollar gold coin found by a metal detectorist at an old home site.

Have you checked YOUR backyard with a metal detector? The first question asked by new detecting hobbyists is “Where should I start hunting?” Believe it or not, the most obvious answer is the best: in your own backyard! And don’t forget to check the sides and front of your home, condo or apartment. You never know what’s been dropped or stashed there. If you live in an older home or property where old farm houses, sheds or buildings were, this is especially true. But even in newer neighborhoods, the soil could have been deposited from another location dating back hundreds of years ago.

Amazing Backyard Treasures:

According to an article on theNational Geographic website, these amateur detectorists really DID find BIG treasure—just by detecting out back!

Underground Stolen Money: In 1946, U.S. Army postal inspectors used a military metal detector to search a deceased postal employee’s backyard who was believed to have stolen money. They uncovered $153,150 buried in his backyard stashed in jars and cans!

Buried Model T: 1966: In Detroit, a man wielding a metal detector unearthed a Model T Ford that was buried in his backyard 40 years before.

JFK Conspiracy Info?: In 1975, an amateur treasure hunter found a bullet where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The FBI determined that the bullet was different than the type fired by alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.

Confederate Shell: 1997- Virginia: Two young boys using a metal detector unearthed a live Confederate Army artillery shell in their grandfather’s backyard.

Search Your Neighborhood for Big Treasure!

Even if you don’t find big treasure in your backyard, it may lie right around the corner! An avid detectorist and author revealed that he got permission to search his local church grounds and found: three Indian head pennies, a rosary ring, four clad quarters and a 1797 Connecticut large cent.

When it comes to metal detecting for relics, you need to know where to look and also have the right metal detector.

There is no shortage of locations that are ripe for the picking of long forgotten remnants of the past (a.k.a ‘relics’). Just bring along your metal detector and let the excitement begin! Among the hot spots to locate relics are deserted or abandoned buildings. Anywhere people once lived will yield treasure that can be located by a metal detector. Many times you will find rooms in abandoned homes that were left just as they were when they were lived in decades ago.

Detecting for relics is different than searching for gold or coins. Old houses and buildings can present hobbyists with a tremendous amount of junk iron and nails. For these sites, using a small amount of discrimination will prove highly beneficial. You don’t want to use too much discrimination so as to reject valuable targets. Daniel Bernzweig of MetalDetector.com advises “If you’re using a detector that has a visual target display, rely heavily on it to identify your targets. Correlate the audio and visual signals before making a decision to dig a target.” Recommended reading for relic hunters is What are the Best Metal Detectors for Finding Relics?

Discrimination and Target Identification are valuable, time-saving features on metal detectors. But experts advise against overlooking all targets that indicate aluminum or other “junk.” Your target may look or sound like a pull tab, foil, bottle cap, nail or tin; however, this can be deceiving. The fact is—old aluminum pull tabs have a similar ring tone as gold. It would be very unfortunate to pass up a gold or silver ring because you’re discriminating out potential junk.

“Dig Up Everything” is the Mantra of Many Detectorists

Discrimination blocks your detector’s response from targets you choose to eliminate. This is helpful for coin hunters, but not so much for relic hunters. Relic hunters usually err on the safe side by digging up anything that’s made of metal. Detectorist and author Dick Stout says, “Gold and aluminum are so close in conductivity, it’s virtually impossible to reject one target without rejecting the other.” So, consider what treasure you’re after. For relics and jewelry, your discrimination setting should be very LOW.

Target Identification – Audio is Just as Important as Visual

Target Identification has gotten sophisticated on all of the latest metal detectors. And many models claim they can precisely identify what you’ve found. Further, there are some advanced detectors that actually show you a visual of what’s underfoot! Target ID will show you whether your target is a copper penny (minted before 1982) or a zinc penny. It will distinguish between clad coins, silver, gold and other metals. Sophisticated detectors like theWhites Spectra VX3 will tell you the target you’ve found (nickel, quarter, gold, silver), but there is still overlap between pull tabs and gold. Get to know your detector’s audio tones, because this will help tremendously in distinguishing treasure from trash!

Tom Shively and Catherine Tucker show metal detecting equipment that helped find a lost wedding band. Catherine said she could not stop crying after finding her late husband’s ring.

Metal detectorists love their hobby for many reasons. First of all, there’s the thrill of the hunt. Secondly, there is the possibility of uncovering extremely valuable treasure: coins, jewelry, relics and even gold. Yet another passion of detectorists is helping out other people. Kind-hearted and compassionate, many detectorists use their expertise to help others locate sentimental lost items. This was the case recently when a seasoned hobbyist helped a distraught woman who lost her late husband’s ring while handing out Halloween candy.

Lost Ring Passing Out Halloween Candy

Catherine Tucker, a mother of two from mid-Michigan, became a widow three years ago when her husband died in a motorcycle accident. A former Air Force Lieutenant, husband Chris left the military to stay home with his daughters. Chris’s tragic motorcycle crash occurred on the day of his daughter’s birthday. Catherine had to sell her own wedding ring after the accident; and all she had left was her husband’s wedding band. After passing out Halloween candy, she realized the ring was missing and put out a plea on social media to look for the ring.

“Treasure Tom” to the Rescue!

Thankfully, Tom Shively (a.k.a. “Treasure Tom,” of Holt, MI.) read the story and offered his detectorist experience. Shively spent 80 minutes methodically searching Tucker’s yard with his metal detector. Tucker thanked him and told him to give up, but Shively asked for a few more minutes. Ten minutes later, he heard a faint, high-pitched tone. Sure enough, he found the ring! It had fallen upright in the grass and someone had stepped on it. Tucker was eternally grateful and emotional—and in the end, Shively would not accept a reward.

If you are inspired to take up metal detecting (whether to help others or make a profit), now is the time to get started. Technological advancements have made even entry-level units VERY efficient. Any hobbyist can easily locate lost valuables and treasures with a newer metal detector!

Here are some of the most affordable and popular entry-level detectors available today:

Amazing treasure finds are occurring around the world, from South Africa, to Europe; Australia to the U.S. It’s no wonder there is a new metal detecting craze! Not only are detectorists finding a fortune, they are loving their hobby at the same time! From ancient jewels, to gold coins, meteorites and shipwreck treasure, amateur and professional treasure hunters alike are uncovering amazing finds! Veteran hunters do stress that finding big treasure is a combination of luck and experience. But, with determination, any detectorist will uncover coins, relics, jewelry and antiques. A popular saying is that dedicated treasure hunters will find enough treasure to pay for their detector. Detecting is among the most exciting hobbies. With the holidays quickly approaching, now is the time to get in on the action. Put a metal detector on your wish list!!

Exciting and Unexpected Discoveries

Amateur U.K. Detectorist Finds Gold Pendant with Carving of Jesus’ BirthEvery Sunday afternoon, Mark Hannabee went out treasure hunting for fun and exercise. Seven years later, Hannabee’s detector went off—and to his amazement, he found a stamp-sized gold pendant. It had an intricate carving of the birth of Jesus. He took it to Sotheby’s Auction, where it was estimated at $250,000 pounds. They didn’t buy it, but he eventually sold it at another auction for $38,000 pounds—equivalent to almost $50, 000!

Six-Year-Old Finds $4 Million Gold Locket with His DadA father and his young son enjoyed casual metal detecting- just looking for junk. After a few weeks of hunting, they stumbled upon a gold locket with the image of the Virgin Mary. Appraisers determined that the locket dated back to the 16th Century and belonged to the Royal British family. They sold the precious gold locket for $4 million dollars, and shared part of the proceeds with the family who owned the property it was found on.

Hauxton Hoard – Near Cambridge, EnglandIn 1992, a farmer in England lost his hammer in the field and asked his detectorist friend to help find it. Detectorist Eric Laas not only found the hammer, he located a historical treasure hoard. Named the Hauxton Hoard, Laas discovered Roman Empire coins including: 24 bronze coins, 565 gold coins, 14, 191 silver coins and other jewels and statues. Under British law, a treasure trove becomes the property of Britain. However, they are required to pay fair market value to the finder. So, the duo received a cool $1.7 million pounds—almost $2.1 million!!

MetalDetector.com’s Big Holiday Sale

Start your OWN treasure hunting adventures with a metal detector of your own! From now through December 20, 2016, you’ll find the lowest prices of the year on themost popular beginner and mid-level metal detectors. Almost every detector brand/model is available at MetalDetector.com—and all accessories. Get started on your holiday gift list TODAY, so you can get in on the action!

For more great metal detecting finds stories, check out theMy Metal Detector Finds section from us here at MetalDetector.com